Taylor's Takes: Looking Back at Preseason Predictions

It’s hard to believe that the 2024 season has come and gone. I feel like the season gets faster every spring, and I’m already going through college lacrosse withdrawals as I type this.

Fortunately for fans, we were privy to some spectacular games and individual efforts this season and saw our sport continue to get bigger and better. We saw more games on television and streaming, heard from passionate and insightful commentators and helped grow this beautiful game a little more. This should hopefully help us last until February comes back around and the 2025 season begins!

As we wrap up this spring, I thought it would be fun to see how my February predictions panned out. Some were spot on, others were very off, and a few fell in the middle. As always, thank you for spending your spring with me. It was one awesome ride!

Preseason Tewaaraton Top Five

How’d I do? VERY OFF!

Back in February, I thought I’d go at least 3-for-5 in terms of Tewaaraton picks, but I only got one correct — returning winner Izzy Scane. Though my other four picks — Sam Thacker, Belle Smith, Erin Coykendall and Emma Tyrrell — had spectacular seasons, joining Scane this year will be fellow Wildcat Madison Taylor, Stony Brook’s Ellie Masera, Loyola’s Chase Boyle and Notre Dame’s Jackie Wolak. With early exits from the NCAA tournament for Masera, Boyle and Wolak, this year’s contest will likely come down to Taylor and Scane — and given her dominance late in the championship game, I think Scane will bring home her second Tewaaraton Award.

Preseason Prediction: Big things from Kayla Martello

How’d I do? Spot on.

Martello has been a staple for the Eagles offense ever since she stepped on campus, but she played her absolute best in her last game in maroon and gold. She was the catalyst to BC’s comeback national championship victory, scoring four goals in a row and earning herself MVP honors in the process. Martello had the perfect cast of feeders surrounding her this season, allowing her to expose defensive holes with her nifty and perfectly timed cutting ability. 

Preseason Prediction: Brigid Duffy, the next Super Sophomore

How’d I do? Pretty solid.

A few other sophomores had spectacular seasons and earned more postseason honors, like Madison Taylor, Shea Dolce, Emmy Pascale and Jenika Cuocco in particular. But Duffy proved herself again in her sophomore campaign. She is a true two-way midfielder, making an impact in every facet of the game, but it was her improvement on the defensive end that showed most in 2024. It was obvious that Duffy placed a ton of emphasis on her defensive work in the offseason (when not playing soccer), and it showed.

Preseason Prediction: Johns Hopkins will be most underrated

How’d I do? Florida was most underrated.

The Blue Jays had a great season, making it to the second round before losing to Yale, but they were outshined by the Florida Gators in terms of being underrated. The Gators came into this season ranked No. 10 and ended up going all the way to the national semifinals for the first time since 2012. Offensive stars Maggi Hall, Danielle Pavinelli and Ashley Gonzalez helped Florida win 20 straight games. The Gators graduate many of their top players, but the experience of making it to Memorial Day weekend will live on in their returners as the program’s new standard.

Preseason Question: Can Denver duplicate 2023?

2024 Outcome: Denver’s 2024 season did not live up to 2023.

Denver’s 2023 run to the national semifinal was something truly special. The Pios had one of the best defenses in the country and an offense that always got it done, even if it wasn’t the flashiest. While they had a solid 2024 and earned a second round appearance before falling to Northwestern, they didn’t have the same critical pieces and weren’t able to make it to the big dance again. Graduating some of their top players from 2023 and having others injure themselves during this season hindered the Pios, but I’m confident they’ll be back to the big dance in the next few years.   

Preseason Question: Can Notre Dame, Loyola and Stony Brook get over the hump?

2024 Outcome: Not in 2024.

Unfortunately for these three programs, they were not able to get over the hump and make a semifinal appearance. The second round was not friendly to any of these teams, as Notre Dame lost a heartbreaker to unseeded Michigan, Loyola was eliminated by a red-hot Penn squad, and Stony Brook couldn’t get past Syracuse. While each of these programs had definite bright spots in 2024, they still could not capture the ever-elusive ticket to Memorial Day weekend.

Preseason Question: How will Duke bounce back?

2024 Outcome: Better than 2023, not still not the Duke of old.

Duke ended 2024 with a 10-9 record and exited the NCAA tournament (one many didn’t think the Blue Devils should have made) after a first-round loss to Loyola. Senior Katie Desimone was the bright spot for the Blue Devils, and her play was a major reason they won as many games as they did, but in general, 2024 was not what Duke was hoping for. They graduate many key contributors, but perhaps the newcomers and returning underclassmen can make a turn for the better for the Blue Devils.

Preseason Prediction: A new era for Virginia

2024 Outcome: UVA is back and better than ever.

UVA head coach Sonia LaMonica turned this year’s Virginia team into one that was feared by all. They played with a combination of creativity, grit and athleticism that I haven’t seen from the Cavs in years, and it was so exciting to watch. Even though they didn’t win the ACC or make it to NCAA quarterfinals, they played a much more exciting brand of lacrosse and had huge wins. I cannot wait to see what year two holds for LaMonica and her staff and how they can continue to propel UVA forward.

Preseason Predictions: Way too early conference champs

2024 Outcome: 7-for-15

• AAC: Florida/Florida
• ACC: Boston College/Boston College
• America East: Albany/Binghamton
• ASun: Jacksonville/Coastal Carolina
• Atlantic 10: UMass/Richmond
• Big East: Denver/Denver
• Big South: High Point/Mercer
• Big Ten: Northwestern/Northwestern
• CAA: Stony Brook/Stony Brook
• Ivy: Princeton/Yale
• MAAC: Mount St. Mary’s/Niagara
• MAC: Robert Morris/Robert Morris
• NEC: Wagner/LIU
• Pac 12: Stanford/Stanford
• Patriot: Army/Loyola

Preseason Question: What will the Syracuse offense look like?

2024 Outcome: Very, very good.

By the end of 2024, the Orange offense had a three-headed monster of their own with Emma Tyrell (70G/22A), Olivia Adamson (58G/25A) and Emma Ward (44G/37A). Add on the spectacular play from their supporting cast of Maddy Baxter, Natalie Smith, Emma Muchnick, Savannah Sweitzer and Susan Rowley, and they were one tough offensive group to stop up until their semifinal game against Boston College. The Orange graduate five from this offensive group, so it will be interesting to see which returners step up to the plate, as well as if any transfers make an impact in 2025.